


I'll be beside you should you fall

by ambiguously



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Fluffy Adventure, Kid Fic, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21655414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguously/pseuds/ambiguously
Summary: While Luke and Ezra are on a mission looking for other Force-sensitives, someone comes to them for help.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 18
Kudos: 114
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	I'll be beside you should you fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaineyDay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineyDay/gifts).



Onderon was a bust. They had been given a lead on another Force-sensitive youth by one of Hera's contacts. ("Keep an eye out," she told them all, always. "These are the signs to look for. Tell me what you find.") When Ezra and Luke had located their goal, she turned out to be just another street magician with a gift for sleight of hand.

"Sorry," she said to Luke. "I hope you have better luck elsewhere."

"Thank you," he said, and they left her there with a handful of credits for the show.

Ezra fell into step beside him. "Have you noticed everyone we talk to assumes you're the Jedi?"

"I am a Jedi," said Luke.

"Yeah, but so am I." He nudged Luke's arm. "I blame the robe."

"You could wear a robe. They're comfortable. And you'd look less like a two cred smuggler."

"I resent that. I'm at least a five cred smuggler." They made their way through the crowd and back towards the spaceport. They had a long trip home ahead of them, and nothing to show for it. "Do you want to get dinner here before we go?"

"Sure." They changed their path, heading towards the mouth-watering smells drifting their way from the stalls and shops in the more lively part of town. Ezra stopped at a stall selling spicy poreenta in bowls. Luke picked up a wrapped targa roll at a shopfront halfway down the street. They found free seats at the edge of a decorative fountain.

The first bite of the poreenta burned his tongue in the best way. Ezra had eaten anything he could scratch, scrabble, or steal to stay alive as a child, and the same again in his years trapped with the Seventh Fleet. The thick texture of the noodles in his mouth were a luxury he could never tire of.

Luke bit into his roll. "Oh, this is good. Here, try a bite." He handed over his dinner. Sometime in the last couple of months, Luke had noticed how much Ezra enjoyed tasting new things, and always made an excuse to let him try more. Ezra knew that was exactly what he was doing, and he still took the roll from Luke's hand and bit into it. The chewy targa had been marinated in a sweet and creamy sauce, which had soaked into just the very inner edge of the bread. He handed it back.

"That is good. Maybe we can grab a few for the road."

"Are you a Jedi?" A boy had approached them, his eyes on Luke.

"I am, and so is Five Cred."

"We are not keeping that nickname," Ezra said. He looked at the boy. "Do you need help?"

It was strange, and more than a little wonderful. Ezra had taken a while to settle back into life here in the wider galaxy, to stop looking over his shoulder every minute in fear of pursuit, to step away from the rest of his family and know they'd be there when he got home. More Force sensitives lived out here, not just Ahsoka, Dhara, and the little ones whom they'd protected. This new guy Luke Skywalker was apparently a well-known Jedi now, and Princess Leia had turned out to be his sister, which meant she had the Force, too. A handful of others had surfaced, and there were rumors and stories claiming more were out there. Ezra, Luke, and Ahsoka investigated every credible rumor and many that weren't. For reasons of her own, Ahsoka hadn't wanted to join them on Onderon, though she had joined them on several trips. Everywhere they went, the people they met came to the Jedi for help.

The boy said, "It's my sister. She's been taken."

Luke rewrapped his roll and stowed it into a pocket. Ezra didn't have that option, choosing instead to bring his borrowed bowl to his mouth and drinking the rest of his noodles with an undignified slurp. As they followed the boy, he dropped the bowl back at the stall where he'd purchased the meal.

"Who took her?" Luke asked.

"The Hodans. They've been to our enclave for barter many times. One of them must have seen she has the gift."

"Gift," Ezra said, catching Luke's eye.

"Like you. She has magic."

"It's not really magic," said Ezra.

Luke said, "Tell us what happened."

As they hurried their steps out of the city, the boy, whose name was Iriak, told them about his family's enclave past the outskirts. They grew a valuable food, which Ezra had never heard of, and traded for other goods with the surrounding families, or brought their harvest to the city to sell. Apparently his youngest sister had learned to play games without touching the pieces, and someone from another family had spied her, and recognized what it meant.

"Some of the older people, they remember when the Jedi came here before. They were warriors and wizards, and they taught our people to fight."

Ezra hadn't thought about Saw Gerrera in years, except for a brief moment of regret when he'd finally received a full list of all the people who'd died before his return. He was from this world, and he'd been trained by Republic forces, though he'd twisted their teaching into minacity. Jedi were here to help. They hadn't been able to help enough the last time.

"They took Issal in the night. We know who it was because my older brother saw them leave."

"Has anyone gone to their enclave?" Luke asked.

"My mother and father went. The Hodans were armed and there are many of them. My father went to the city to find armed men, but I heard from my friend that there were Jedi here. One Jedi is worth a hundred armed soldiers."

Ezra didn't like the idea of going against a dozen armed soldiers, much less two hundred. "We'll see what we can do."

Iriak didn't take them to his family's enclave. "The Hodans live here," he said, bringing them to a distance from a high-walled edifice. There might be a large household or a small village inside.

Luke turned to Iriak. "Go home. Tell your parents you've found help, and they should wait there. We'll bring Issal to you."

Ezra said, "How far from here is your home?"

Iriak pointed and gave them quick directions which involved a few too many "Turn right by the old tree" details for Ezra's liking. They'd find it. Iriak nodded and left them with his thanks.

"It's nearly nightfall," Luke said.

Ezra picked up on what he meant. "We'll wait until dark, get in and get out." Simple plan, something he'd done a hundred times, although in the old days he'd be casing a place to steal a crate of Imperial rifles, not rescue a kid.

"Can you sense her?"

Ezra closed his eyes. "Yes. She's being kept near the middle of the enclosure. She's scared, but I don't think she's been injured." He felt a squib of tension move out from his own body. A child alone without her parents and family among people who meant her harm? That hit a little too close to home, still.

He opened his eyes and saw Luke watching him. Yes, Ezra was much better at sensing others at a distance, but Luke had clearly assessed the situation already. He'd wanted Ezra to be reassured.

They had a little time before dark. Ezra settled into a more comfortable position to wait. "You know it's weird when you take care of me, right?"

Luke shrugged. "We have to look out for each other."

"That's not what I mean."

He wasn't ready to say what he did mean. They'd been going on these missions together for the better part of a year. Typically they had Ahsoka along as a buffer for their arguments when they first met, and when the arguments had ended, Ahsoka had still been there. She wasn't here with them on this mission, and the two of them hadn't argued in months. Now they poked and pulled at each other in a different way. He liked it. He didn't know how to say how much he liked it. Ezra was almost twenty-seven years old, and he had yet to go on a date.

Luke didn't ask, or else he understood. He moved up for another peek at the enclave. "They're posting guards for the night."

"Of course they are. Why would this be easy?"

"Let's go around to the back. Maybe we'll be lucky and there will be an unguarded entrance we can sneak in." His tone was even and he didn't crack a smile. Ezra heard the joke inside regardless. He followed Luke around in the thick foliage that hid them from view. The rear side of the enclave backed into a tall hill that towered over.

Ezra judged the height. "How good are you at jumping?"

Luke followed his gaze. "Good enough. Climb now or wait for sunset?"

"We'll wait."

They were fortunate; as soon as the sky darkened, a floodlamp from below lit up half the surface of the hill. Had they been climbing, they would have been seen instantly. The way up was trickier in the dim twilight of the far side. Handholds gave way, and they needed utter silence even when feet slipped and only a reflexive reach with the Force stopped a fall.

Finally at the top, they rested for a moment in shadow, looking down into the walled enclave. Ezra counted a dozen smaller buildings surroundings two large central structures. He pointed to the one closer to the hill. Issal was in there.

"Ready?"

"Readier than you." said Luke with a grin. He jumped. Ezra leapt after him, reaching with his powers to control his descent and cushion his landing. They looked at each other, confirming the other was fine, then ran for cover in the tight space between two of the outer buildings.

They should have picked a different hiding spot. Ezra pressed up against Luke's side, aware of his heat and the warm scent of his body. Okay, maybe there was something to the old Jedi prohibitions against romance. (He'd found that rule from a holoreel six months ago. Kanan had never said a word about it for some reason.) Jedi needed not to become distracted by a cute face, or worse, an inconvenient erection that took valuable concentration time to will away.

The Hodans, be they a clan, family, or sabacc club, milled around the compound. They were nervous. Ezra didn't need special powers to pick up their worry. They suspected Issal's family would mount an attack tonight. The two of them hid deeper in the shadows, so close together Ezra felt Luke's heart beating.

When there was a long break between people walking by, they moved out of their hiding spot and found a door into the building. "Unguarded entrance?" Ezra said in a near-silent whisper.

"Told you." Luke opened the door and they hurried inside. Without speaking they both knew Issal was on the top floor. There would be stairs but there would also be people.

Luke had his lightsaber. Ezra's was clipped to his side, but his blaster was more useful now. He confirmed the stun setting and followed Luke up the first staircase. They made it up two floors before they were spotted. Ezra had his blaster out, but Luke had already stepped forward.

"You didn't see us."

"I didn't see you," said the woman.

"Go back to the room where you were."

She turned and left them there. Ezra lowered his weapon. Right. Mind trick. He'd stopped using it regularly after he'd gone too far using it under the tutelage of the Sith holocron. Mind control seemed like Dark Side magic to him now.

"Come on," Luke said, and hurried up the next set of stairs.

They reached the top level of the building, Issal's presence calling out like a single flame on an inky night with no stars. The room she was being held in was locked. Ezra opened it easily. They stepped inside and closed the door as the little girl sat up in the bed then drew back under the thin blanket in terror. She couldn't have been more than three years old.

"Don't be afraid," Luke said. "We're friends. We've come to take you home to your parents."

"I want Mama," she said, and started to cry. Luke sat at the foot of her bed to soothe her while Ezra stayed by the door on guard.

"We'll take you to her. All right?"

The crying grew louder. Luke lifted her into his arms, and she went limp, resting on his shoulder, tears streaming down her face as he hushed her.

Ezra said, "I think we've got a better chance getting out on the roof and crossing the wall from there." He went to the small window. There was just enough for for them to slide out. As he opened the aperture, the door rattled and opened. Luke turned, keeping his body between the door and the child. Ezra's hand went to his blaster.

"Issal, are you awake?" said a voice. The door hadn't opened all the way. He readied his shot.

"Mama!" said Issal.

Ezra and Luke looked at each other. Ezra lowered his blaster as the woman came in, flicked on the lampswitch, and screamed at them. Instantly the whole compound sounded the alarm. Ezra glanced at the window, holstering his blaster for later. Luke shook his head once. With great care, he set Issal down. The girl scampered towards her mother, who embraced her, backing out of the room. Four others pushed past her coming in. Ezra's hands were already up, and Luke raised his half a second later. They were ushered out of the room and down the stairs.

Luke said, "On a scale from one to completely kriffed, how bad do you think this looks?"

"Two strange men in a child's bedroom at night trying to take her away? We'll need a bigger scale."

They were led into an open area between the two large buildings. Ezra had a bad feeling. This was the kind of place where you'd bring prisoners to avoid getting blood all over the floor during their execution. The other Hodans gathered around them, anger radiating from everyone. Issal's mother held her in a bright pool of light.

"We can explain," Ezra said. "There was a boy, Iriak. He told us you stole his sister from his family. He asked us to find her and bring her home." The words ached a little. He kept the hurt off his face.

"This is her home," said her mother. "Tell the Dalirs if they send more mercenaries to steal our child again, we will meet them with guns."

"We aren't mercenaries," Luke said, stepping in front of Ezra. His hands went to his belt. Ezra flinched as the armed Hodans raised their weapons. Luke lit his lightsaber and brandished it to gasps from the rest. "Iriak misled us. He told us you took her because she has the Force."

"I want Iriak," said Issal, and she started to cry again. Her mother shushed her, jostling her to keep her still.

Outside the enclave gates, they heard shouts. The words weren't clear, but the intent was.

Luke glanced at Ezra, who shrugged. He doused his lightsaber. Ezra lowered his hands and said, "Let's all talk."

Two people who could only have been Iriak's parents were allowed inside the gates but the Hodans demanded they leave their weapons. Another argument broke out until Ezra lit his own lightsaber. "My friend and I will guarantee your safety while you're inside."

They were brought to a large room. A long table had been hastily shoved to one side, making room in the center. Ezra said, "Why don't you start from the beginning? Who are Issal's parents?"

The story came in starts, loop-backs, and contradictions, but he got the gist of it. No one knew who Issal's birth parents had been. She'd been found in the jungle before she could talk. The Hodans had taken her in first, adopting her as part of their clan, a lucky charm with magical powers. She'd still been small when she'd been lost again, this time found by the Dalirs, and taken in by them. One of the Hodan clan had seen her two days ago while trading with the Dalirs, and he'd recognized her by her playful tricks. They'd done what they needed to do, taking back the clan's lost daughter.

As the two families talked, and accused one another of kidnapping, Issal played with a rag doll. Luke kept close watch on her, nodding to Ezra to keep paying attention to the adults while Luke sat in the dirt and showed her how to make her dolly dance with her powers. Ezra tried to keep up with the finger-pointing and recriminations, but he was distracted by the simple joy on Luke's face while he played with a little girl. Luke liked kids. Ezra wasn't sure why that gave him such a warm feeling inside.

"All right." Ezra said at last. "From what you're telling me, she belongs to both families. Is that right?"

"No!" came the matching cries of disagreement before they fell to fighting again.

"Issal," Luke said, and he pitched his voice to carry, enough so that the others went quiet. "Who do you want to live with?"

"I want to live with Mama," she said.

Her Hodan mother crossed her arms. "We are done."

"I want to live with Ima and Iriak," said Issal. 'Ima' was what she called her Dalir mother. She hugged her dolly.

Luke said, "Thank you for telling us." She smiled shyly at him.

He really liked kids, and Ezra really liked that Luke liked kids. But now was not the time to think about that.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Like I said, it sounds like Issal belongs to both families. She loves all of you. You're going to have to learn to share." He was ready for the complaints to rise again, and he was not disappointed. "She's a good little kid, and you all love her, too. And she's going to be a handful. She has powers, and she'll need all of you with her, helping her as she learns to use them. It will be a big challenge if you're up for it."

That was what they needed to hear. The arguments restarted, but now it was whose enclave would be better for training their little Jedi. The Hodans would meet this challenge best. No, the Dalirs would teach her most. And so it went.

Luke said, "We'll be back to check on her now and then. When she's older, she can decide if she wants to study the ways of the Force. For now, she needs her family."

Their unexpected hosts thanked them and without being rude, suggested it was time for them to go.

"Here's our contact docs," Ezra said, giving a copy to each of Issal's moms. "Reach out to us with any questions." They'd done this same thing on the other worlds where they'd successfully made contact with Force-sensitives. This wasn't about starting another Order, not now, not with so few of them. It was about searching the stars to find out who was there.

The stars were hard to see tonight as they made the long journey back towards the city and their ship. Ezra's mind returned again and again to the nice image of Luke playing with Issal. A weird, wild thought came to him that while Issal might have two homes, there were plenty of kids who didn't. He hadn't even had a home until good people had taken him in and given him a new family. Luke had told him Master Yoda's last words had included telling him to pass on what he'd learned. Ezra considered that they'd both learned far more from their teachers than just how to swing a lightsaber around.

"I was thinking," he said. "We're eventually going to meet Force-sensitive kids who don't have homes. We should think about taking them in ourselves."

Luke said, "I always figured that was the plan. Stay in touch with the ones who have a place to be, offer a home to those that don't."

"Right." Ezra kept walking. The insect and animal sounds around them were unfamiliar. Not scary, just strange.

"I don't take care of you," Luke said. "Not on purpose."

"You always make sure I'm eating, and ask how I slept. You reassure me when I think a kid might be in danger. You look out for me more than anyone else does."

"You've been through a lot. I want to make sure you're okay."

Irritation settled in. "I don't need a babysitter. If Ahsoka or Hera asked you to keep an eye on me, you can tell them I'm fine."

"They didn't ask and if they had, I would have told them no. I've already dealt with babysitting one grown man. I am not doing that again."

Ezra snorted. "How is Han?"

"He sent a message a few days ago. They're all fine. Busy. You know, living their lives." Without me, he didn't say, and didn't need to. Ezra had come home to the same thing. The people you loved didn't stop loving you, and always had a place for you when you came to visit, but they had their own jobs to do, and their own destinies to explore. The more Ezra and Luke focused on Jedi work, the more time they drifted away from the same families they'd given so much to protect.

"I get it," said Ezra.

"I know you do. You're the only one who understands what it means to be who we are, and the choices we have to make. Leia doesn't want to walk this path. Ahsoka's on her own journey. There's just you and me. So yes, I watch out for you. You're my friend, and I like you."

"I like you, too."

"But not like that. I know." There was a faint tone of self-defeat, and even if Ezra hadn't heard it, he felt Luke's mood dip.

"Like what?"

Luke didn't answer. He kept walking, Ezra in step beside him on the rambling path. He tried to consider what Luke had meant. No other explanation came to mind. He thought about staying vague, thought about teasing him, thought about dropping it.

He went with honesty. "Did you know I've never gone out on a date?"

Luke stared at him, and it was clear he didn't believe him.

"I mean it. I didn't have much chance before I went away, and out in the UR, there wasn't anyone I'd even consider. I missed a lot." He took a breath. "I don't know what you mean when you tell me you like me."

He expected some hedging, or some quote from some dead Jedi Master. He didn't expect Luke to put his hand on his shoulder and kiss him.

"When I say it, I mean I like you," Luke said.

Ezra's smile grew. "Good. I like you, too."

The city was kilometers away, and it was well after dark on a planet he didn't know. They should get back to the ship and send a message to Ahsoka about everything they'd found. Proper Jedi would not pause here in the middle of nowhere to talk about feelings. Probably. Ezra didn't know that either, and as he bent in to kiss Luke again, he decided he didn't care one bit.


End file.
